Become a Wreck Diving Specialist

Age, Depth, and Prerequisite Certification

There are minimum age requirements and maximum depth limits for all the specialties that require scuba training dives in open water.

As a result, before you can enrol in the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty course you will need to be:

• At least fifteen (15) years old.
• Already certified as PADI Adventure Diver or equivalent (e.g. from one of the approved scuba training agencies)

Number of Days: Two (2)

Number of Wreck Dives: Four (4)

Maximum Depth: Thirty (30) Metres (100 feet)

Important: Even though scuba certifications do not expire, we recommend taking the PADI ReActivate® refresher course if you have been inactive from diving for a while (e.g. longer than six months).

Reasons to Become a Wreck Diver Specialist

Mystery and curiosity is what draws most divers - sooner or later - into making a plunge around wrecked debris. Capsized intentionally or not, you find most shipwrecks in deep water.

This is why the PADI® Wreck Specialty Diver Certification is linked with other specialties, such as deep and nitrox. Covering large areas of wreckage is made easier and more relaxing if you are also qualified to drive an underwater scooter around the carnage.

Furthermore, some of the best scuba wreck dives are deeper than thirty metres. Thus, the only way to go down that far is to get certified for deep diving.

Some of the things you can see beyond the normal light zone experienced at shallow depths, include:

• Abandoned Shipwrecks
• Healthier coral reef formations
• Large ocean-going vertebrates
• Sharks (e.g. bull sharks, nurse sharks)
• Sunken ruins and unclaimed treasure
• The best shipwrecks at Pattaya Islands

It is important to understand that the techniques and procedures used when entering and exiting the water will vary when diving at different underwater wrecks.

Exploring Wrecks at Deep Dive Sites

Having the knowledge and unique skills to explore distant locations away from the shore is another reason for taking the course.

Do you like swimming with big fishes?

If so, you need to go diving in deeper water that attracts schooling vertebrates and pelagics, such as large sharks, groupers, and sea turtles.

Digital Learning Programs for Self-Study

In general, it is much easier for divers with a busy schedule to choose the online learning option to start scuba lessons.

Being able to complete the independent study portion of a multiple day course offers you some flexibility and convenience.

As long as you have a computer or a mobile device, you will be able to study the knowledge development portion at your own pace (online or offline).

Wreck Diver eLearning: Up to Four (4) Hours

If you sign up for PADI eLearning® you can complete Wreck Diver self-study assignments online for around 4,500 THB.

Following that, you would need to contact the dive shop to perform the required scuba training dives with a PADI Instructor to finish the course.

PADI Wreck Diver: What Skills Will You Learn?

You need to participate in the instructor-led knowledge development sessions by completing all knowledge reviews from the Wreck Diver student manual.

Here's why...

Of course, you will learn how to enter and exit deeper water in a safe and effective manner while wearing scuba gear (often from a custom-built dive boat).

Besides that, you will also learn about:

• Researching the history of wrecked boats, planes, and warships
• Planning and surveying wreck dives and the importance of effective buddy communication
• Wreck diving techniques and the potential hazards of scuba diving inside shipwrecks
• Specialised scuba equipment for wreck diving and penetration (e.g. lines and reels)

Note: Did you successfully complete the elective Wreck Dive from the Adventures in Diving Program? If so, an instructor may count it as being the first training dive of the certification requirements in this particular specialty course.

Dive Gear and Specialist Equipment

You need to wear standard scuba gear for the four training dives conducted in open water. Other specialist equipment for wreck dives that you'll use, may also include:

• Underwater computer and diving watch
• Dive flag and float (e.g. diver down flag)
• Dive Clips, Carabiner, and Safety Retractor Reel
• Diver Propulsion Vehicle (sea scooter)
• Navigation tools (e.g. underwater compass, nav-finder)
• Digital cameras and underwater photography equipment
• Surface signaling devices or inflatable signal tubes

Note: Using different underwater torches will be useful as the surroundings become darker and if you will be navigating your way through any dangerous structures (e.g. 10 best wreck dives in the world).

FAQ Section and Medical Questionnaire Form

Can a Certified Wreck Diver Dive Alone?

The diving buddy system is a safety procedure pairing two or more divers together. Also, the group should perform pre-dive safety checks (Begin With Review And Friend) before entering the water.

Nonetheless, PADI does consent to a kind of 'solo diving' through the Self-Reliant Diver certification course, which is available in Pattaya, Thailand.

What's the Deepest Diving Certification?

The term 'deep dives' has a different meaning in recreational scuba diving than it does in technical diving.

The deepest dive made for recreational purposes should not be below forty metres (130 feet). Whereas, a professional technical diver can go down to sixty (60) metres (200 feet).

Can I Survive Below 40 Metres Underwater?

We refer to the US Navy decompression dive tables to answer this question. Divers can only stay at forty seven metres (160 feet) for around five minutes before they need to decompress during the ascent.

Is it Possible to Scuba Dive the Titanic?

The Titanic is resting at a depth of 2,100 fathoms (12,500 feet). Because normal air consumption through a standard tank only lasts about fifteen minutes at 40 metres, scuba diving to the Titanic is impossible.

Fun Fact: The deepest scuba dive ever made is 332.35 metres (1,090 feet) undertaken by Ahmed Gabr in September 2014 in Dahab, the Red Sea. Using open circuit scuba, it took only fifteen (15) minutes to make the descent, but the ascent took thirteen (13) hours and thirty five (35) minutes.

Is it Easier to Blow Bubble Rings at Depth?

You may have seen divers make 'flying saucer' bubbles ascend from the abyss to the surface. So, what is a divers bubble ring? Our blog article explains the technique for blowing ring bubble circles underwater.

Can I Touch the Underwater Organisms?

Divers share a common responsibility to protect and conserve nature. As a result, interacting passively with aquatic animals helps to safeguard the habitats of delicate and sensitive sea life.

What Should I Not Do after Diving a Deep Wreck?

After cleaning the gear, there are several kinds of activities that divers should avoid doing. They include:

• Physical exercise
• Flying in a plane, including traveling to altitude (e.g. mountain hiking).
• Drinking alcohol
• Having a full body massage, hot bath, or hot shower
• Forgetting to log the dives

When Should You Do a Scuba Refresher?

Suppose you don't go diving for more than six months. There is a simple way to refresh the knowledge and skills that you already learned.

After a long period of inactivity, taking the PADI ReActivate® program will help you brush up on the safety procedures and scuba diving fundamentals.

Medical Requirements: Free Download

You must be in good physical and mental health and be medically fit for recreational scuba diving. You can review the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire Online to check whether you need to be evaluated by a physician.

It is not appropriate to ask dive staff (e.g. divemasters, instructors) for medical advice or clearance to go diving. Instead, you can contact the Divers Alert Network (DAN) if you have questions about your medical fitness to dive.

Price for PADI Wreck Diver Specialty Course in Thailand 11,000 THB*

We have qualified instructors and expert dive guides who can teach in several languages, including English, Thai, and Chinese.

The price includes (all):

Boat trips (with free soft drinks served on board)

Professional tuition from a "Private Scuba" Instructor

Free rental of required diving equipment (including a dive computer)

PADI Wreck Diving Specialty Manual and Certification Card

Hotel transfers within Pattaya City limits

Important: You will usually be making two (2) scuba training dives in the same day. The PADI flying after diving guidelines say you need to wait a minimum of eighteen (18) hours after the second dive before you go to altitude. Please send an email to our team if you need further information.

YouTube Video and Knowledge Base for Wreck Divers

Most of the information and advice in this section focuses on deep scuba diving activities which we usually conduct from a boat in Thailand.

We also have a list of blog articles about snorkeling and PADI Free Diving courses - with other popular watersport tourist attractions at the beach resort of Pattaya.

Scuba Diving Help Guides

• Discover Technical Diving
• Diving Emergency Action Plan (EAP Flowchart)
• PADI Rebreather Diver Course

Note: The short video presented by PADI highlights what to expect when taking the Wreck Diver Specialty course. It also emphasises how the protocols and procedures for scuba divers vary at some of the deepest dive sites for wreck diving around the world.

What Comes after the Wreck Diver Specialty?

Wreck diving is very popular with almost all divers because of the excitement and exhilaration that going to "hazardous" submersions can offer.

So what comes next? Your certification links to almost all other scuba certifications, including the popular Specialty Courses offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

Even so, the PADI® Wreck Diver course combines really well with several other specialty courses such as:

• AWARE Shark Conservation
• Boat Diver
• Deep Diver
• Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver
• Multilevel Diver

Note: All course prices for diving are subject to change and assume that all prerequisites have been met to start the training. Click here to contact the team at Private Scuba in Thailand to make a booking or send an enquiry.